Chapter Four
Willow was in her room on her bed. She had been going through some print outs from the net for hours and as much as she denied it, she wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer. Buffy had left a little while ago promising to be back as soon as possible and that she wouldn't be alone for long.
Her head drooped a bit and she pulled it back up, putting her palms to her eyes and rubbing them. She then laid back on the bed, her head hitting the bottom of the pillow. /What's a little bit of sleep. If anything it'll help me, right? she said to herself. She closed her eyes and it didn't take her long to fall into a not so deep sleep.
Time passed and she was in-between consciousness and unconsciousness as she lay in a lazy dream on her bed. Her arms were wrapped around someone, who, she didn't know. Yet, she didn't mind. She was enjoying his company.
Lazily she opened her eyes as her dream drifted off to nothingness only to hear her door open. She panicked, tensioning to her place in an act to look still asleep. She could have sworn she had locked the door. She didn't know who it was but she wasn't planning on finding out the wrong way.
Mentally counting to calm herself, Willow slowed her breathing in a quiet manner till she got to ten. Then she started to count that down, ready for her only move. /... 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2... 1... Throwing her arm out, she used what magick she could muster in her fear to throw the intruder to the wall. Sitting up she looked to see who her threat was.
On the floor was Riley Finn, solder boy extraordinary.
"Riley!" Willow yelled. "Goddess! You scared me to death! What were you thinking?! Why didn't you knock!?"
"I thought you would be asleep. Buffy asked me to come by and watch you till you woke up and then bring you by Mr. Giles'. I'm so sorry Willow. I didn't want to wake you. Buffy gave me her key and..." his babbling stopped. "You're good." He added while he picked himself off the floor, rubbing the bruise on his head that was now forming.
"Excuse me?"
"Your magick. You're really good. I mean, I knew you were but the accuracy of where I was ... how did you know?"
"I ... don't ... know." She looked at her hands then back at Riley. "I think I kinda guessed."
"Good guess then." He smiled. "Well, why don't you get your things. the group is all at Mr. Giles' researching on your laptop so we should get going over there."
"Yeah." She picked up the papers from her print up research and turned to Riley. "And Riley, um, it's just Giles. Don't need the Mister."
"Sorry. I'm just used to saying Mister and Misses. Just hit me the next time I do it."
"Promise."
Willow and Riley were walking silently through the treed area of the campus towards Giles'. Neither had said anything sense they had left and it almost seemed like an awkward silence.
Willow turned to Riley to say something and bit her tongue. She quickly turned back to the direction they were heading and continued walking. Riley turned to look at her for a moment then looked back as well.
"What is it Willow?"
"Oh, it's nothing." She answered, not sure what she really was going to say.
"No, go a head Willow. What is it?"
"I wanted to say that I don't understand what happened between you and Buffy but not to take it wrongly." She said in the calmest voice she could find.
"What are you talking about?"
"You and she aren't on the best of terms right now. I mean, we couldn't tell it was Faith, how were you to. But it's just that..." She stopped herself.
"What?"
"Never mind. This is something you and her should talk about and I don't want to get into something I shouldn't."
"I won't tell her, Willow. If that's what you're worried about." She looked at him with a worried look and then back strait.
'It's just she and -- " her sentence was cut off as an invisible force threw her away from Riley into a tree.
"Willow!" Riley screamed to her as he went to help. Only to be thrown just as far in the opposite direction into another tree by that same force. Willow coughed. the wind knocked from her lungs. She looked over to see Riley, then she saw him.
Mark.
She panicked, struggling to get up. Her feet were literally planted to the ground. As Mark got near she saw him wave his hand and she felt a dizzy spell. /Oh Goddess. Don't tell me this is how I'm going to die. She was telling herself. /I grew up on the hellmouth and a witch is going to take my life, not some monster or vampire. This can't be real.
She could feel her life slipping till the hold it seemed to have on her disappeared. She weakly looked up to see Riley with the stone she had seen the last time in his hand and dodging Mark as he averted him away from Willow. She then found she had her feet back. Standing she threw her hand in a motion and Mark flew, hitting a tree.
"Willow, go!" Riley yelled to her. She turned to quickly glance to Mark and then back.
"No! I'm not leaving you. He'll kill you."
"I'm not a witch. You're the one he wants! Now go!" Mark was too his feet advancing on Willow. She went to throw her hands again and it was like Mark anticipated it and waved his hand at the same time she did.
Nothing happened.
"Willow, go!" She looked to Riley and then started to walk backwards as Mark walked towards her. Before he could advance any more on her, Riley tackled him and looked up to her. "Go, now!" he screamed at her.
She didn't have a choice. She didn't have her power against him anymore. What was she to do? so she turned and ran as fast as she could. Maybe if she got Buffy, just maybe they had a change to save Riley.
Willow was in her room on her bed. She had been going through some print outs from the net for hours and as much as she denied it, she wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer. Buffy had left a little while ago promising to be back as soon as possible and that she wouldn't be alone for long.
Her head drooped a bit and she pulled it back up, putting her palms to her eyes and rubbing them. She then laid back on the bed, her head hitting the bottom of the pillow. /What's a little bit of sleep. If anything it'll help me, right? she said to herself. She closed her eyes and it didn't take her long to fall into a not so deep sleep.
Time passed and she was in-between consciousness and unconsciousness as she lay in a lazy dream on her bed. Her arms were wrapped around someone, who, she didn't know. Yet, she didn't mind. She was enjoying his company.
Lazily she opened her eyes as her dream drifted off to nothingness only to hear her door open. She panicked, tensioning to her place in an act to look still asleep. She could have sworn she had locked the door. She didn't know who it was but she wasn't planning on finding out the wrong way.
Mentally counting to calm herself, Willow slowed her breathing in a quiet manner till she got to ten. Then she started to count that down, ready for her only move. /... 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2... 1... Throwing her arm out, she used what magick she could muster in her fear to throw the intruder to the wall. Sitting up she looked to see who her threat was.
On the floor was Riley Finn, solder boy extraordinary.
"Riley!" Willow yelled. "Goddess! You scared me to death! What were you thinking?! Why didn't you knock!?"
"I thought you would be asleep. Buffy asked me to come by and watch you till you woke up and then bring you by Mr. Giles'. I'm so sorry Willow. I didn't want to wake you. Buffy gave me her key and..." his babbling stopped. "You're good." He added while he picked himself off the floor, rubbing the bruise on his head that was now forming.
"Excuse me?"
"Your magick. You're really good. I mean, I knew you were but the accuracy of where I was ... how did you know?"
"I ... don't ... know." She looked at her hands then back at Riley. "I think I kinda guessed."
"Good guess then." He smiled. "Well, why don't you get your things. the group is all at Mr. Giles' researching on your laptop so we should get going over there."
"Yeah." She picked up the papers from her print up research and turned to Riley. "And Riley, um, it's just Giles. Don't need the Mister."
"Sorry. I'm just used to saying Mister and Misses. Just hit me the next time I do it."
"Promise."
Willow and Riley were walking silently through the treed area of the campus towards Giles'. Neither had said anything sense they had left and it almost seemed like an awkward silence.
Willow turned to Riley to say something and bit her tongue. She quickly turned back to the direction they were heading and continued walking. Riley turned to look at her for a moment then looked back as well.
"What is it Willow?"
"Oh, it's nothing." She answered, not sure what she really was going to say.
"No, go a head Willow. What is it?"
"I wanted to say that I don't understand what happened between you and Buffy but not to take it wrongly." She said in the calmest voice she could find.
"What are you talking about?"
"You and she aren't on the best of terms right now. I mean, we couldn't tell it was Faith, how were you to. But it's just that..." She stopped herself.
"What?"
"Never mind. This is something you and her should talk about and I don't want to get into something I shouldn't."
"I won't tell her, Willow. If that's what you're worried about." She looked at him with a worried look and then back strait.
'It's just she and -- " her sentence was cut off as an invisible force threw her away from Riley into a tree.
"Willow!" Riley screamed to her as he went to help. Only to be thrown just as far in the opposite direction into another tree by that same force. Willow coughed. the wind knocked from her lungs. She looked over to see Riley, then she saw him.
Mark.
She panicked, struggling to get up. Her feet were literally planted to the ground. As Mark got near she saw him wave his hand and she felt a dizzy spell. /Oh Goddess. Don't tell me this is how I'm going to die. She was telling herself. /I grew up on the hellmouth and a witch is going to take my life, not some monster or vampire. This can't be real.
She could feel her life slipping till the hold it seemed to have on her disappeared. She weakly looked up to see Riley with the stone she had seen the last time in his hand and dodging Mark as he averted him away from Willow. She then found she had her feet back. Standing she threw her hand in a motion and Mark flew, hitting a tree.
"Willow, go!" Riley yelled to her. She turned to quickly glance to Mark and then back.
"No! I'm not leaving you. He'll kill you."
"I'm not a witch. You're the one he wants! Now go!" Mark was too his feet advancing on Willow. She went to throw her hands again and it was like Mark anticipated it and waved his hand at the same time she did.
Nothing happened.
"Willow, go!" She looked to Riley and then started to walk backwards as Mark walked towards her. Before he could advance any more on her, Riley tackled him and looked up to her. "Go, now!" he screamed at her.
She didn't have a choice. She didn't have her power against him anymore. What was she to do? so she turned and ran as fast as she could. Maybe if she got Buffy, just maybe they had a change to save Riley.